JR Leaman (center) plunges into the frigid water as he and fellow New Year revelers take part in the Brownsville Wild Plunge at the Brownsville Marina on Tuesday, January 1, 2019. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN

While fellow swimmers scramble out of the chilly water Jim Grose (center) takes his time and treads water along the shore during the Brownsville Wild Plunge at the Brownsville Marina on Tuesday, January 1, 2019. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN

Interested in this topic? You may also want to view these photo galleries:

JR Leaman, center, plunges into the frigid water as he and fellow New Year revelers take part in the Brownsville Wild Plunge at the Brownsville Marina on Tuesday.(Photo: MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN)Buy Photo

The Brownsville Yacht Club has hosted the New Year's Day plunge for about 10 years, now. Four years ago, it morphed into a fundraiser for The Wild Society, an Indianola nonprofit whose mission is to get people — especially kids — excited about nature. Summer backpacking trips and interactive nature adventure puzzles in partnership with Kitsap Regional Library are examples of the group's work.

Jenna Mathews, a Wild Society volunteer and Brownsville resident, organized the event and coordinated with the yacht club. This was her fifth plunge, and Mathews was dressed for the occasion in a plastic hula skirt and coconut shell bikini top. One year she was Batman. Another, she wore a prom dress and went as Mother Nature.

“When you first run in, it’s shocking,” Mathews said of the plunge experience. “When you really go for it, it’s invigorating. It’s the best way to start the New Year in my opinion.”

Mathews said the event — aka The Wild Plunge — gives well-deserved exposure to the yacht club — the hub of tiny Brownsville — hosting a Jingle Bell Dock, Haunted Harbor, rummage sales and other events.

Buy Photo

Polar Plungers are reflected in the water as they prepare for the Brownsville Wild Plunge at the Brownsville Marina on Tuesday.(Photo: MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN)

Forrest Nichols, executive director of the Wild Society, has been doing cold water swims since he was 8 and is a connoisseur of the art of plunging. Tuesday’s dip in Brownsville was his third of the season. On New Year’s Eve he joined in on the Indianola plunge, which includes ceremonial burning of Christmas trees. And he went on a recent practice plunge at night, surrounded by a school of phosphorescent jellyfish.

“It’s always a little scary going in. Then it hurts for about four seconds and you can’t breathe,” he explained. “Then you catch your breath. Then you’re just swimming, and then when you get out, you feel all warm and energetic and lovely.”